Category: Asia

Hello DU Study Abroad Blog,

I have now started the last third of my program. We have entered the internship phase of the program and I am currently interning at a school in a village on the highest mountain in Thailand. My task is to assist with teaching English to students in grades 3 through 5. I am the only student in the program that’s interning at a school. We were all assigned internships based on our interests and I wanted to learn about an indigenous community while working with children. Earlier this week, we had an orientation to prepare for the next 6 weeks and then we were directed to our internships. Four students in the program had internships outside the city including myself so we had to be transported to our placements by our field instructors. So far, my internship has been nice. The children are getting acquainted with me and it’s been fascinating to observe the school customs and compare them to the ones that existed at my schools in the U.S. and in Uganda. It feels odd being referred to as a teacher even though I’m just an intern, but overall, it’s only the beginning.

Best,

Namugga Nakayiza

This was journaled while I was abroad but due to limited internet access, I couldn’t post them at the exact moment. Recorded on 11/3/23.

Hello DU Study Abroad Blog,

This week has been my break from school. We were given a 10-day long break to do whatever we liked that wasn’t related to academics. My mother came to visit me in Thailand so I took this opportunity to explore the country as a tourist with my mom. We traveled to one of the islands in the South, visited Bangkok for a day, and then got further acquainted with Chiang Mai where my study abroad program is based. This break gave me a chance to dive deeper into the Muslim community in Chiang Mai because I never got the chance to attend Friday prayers since our program always has an activity on Fridays. I enjoyed experiencing Jummah and being able to enjoy all kinds of food without the worry of consuming anything that isn’t halal at the Muslim Market near the mosque. As a Muslim, it was nice to find a community that shared my identity which I thought would be impossible considering Thailand is more than 90% Buddhist.

Best,

Namugga Nakayiza

This was journaled while I was abroad but due to limited internet access, I couldn’t post them at the exact moment. Recorded on 10/27/23.